Alaya F caught the audience’s attention with her easy screen presence in Jawaani Jaaneman (2020). But almost two years down the line, we are yet to see her back on the silver screen. She admits the pandemic put the brakes on her career. “After the film’s release, I was on cloud nine. It felt like I was finally living my dream,” begins Alaya, who, like the rest of us, had little idea what 2020 had in store. “In a few weeks, we were all in a global lockdown. Right after Jawaani, I had signed two films. I lost both films in the first two months of the lockdown. I was scared because I was unsure of where my career stood.”

Kartik Aaryan and Alaya F wrapped up the Freddy shoot in September